Guest Post – Never Been Kissed

07 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

Tags

Boys of Bishop series, Molly O'Keefe, Never Been Kissed

We’ve already taken a quick look at Never Been Kissed but today I’m thrilled to have the wonderful Molly O’Keefe join us to answer a few questions. I’ve read Book 3 – Between the Sheets (I’ll have a review up later) – which I thought was fantastic so I’m super excited to get my hands on this one too.

*****

*What do you like best about writing romances? I really like contributing to something happy. Something real. I like telling stories about women and their lives and loves. I like writing about families. About motherhood. I just can’t imagine anything more relevant or beautiful or fun to write.

*What is your favorite romantic story (movie/book, fact/fiction)? Oh, man this is a good one. My favorite romance novel of all time is Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. My favorite romantic movie… would have to be… hmmm. Wow. That’s hard. I really really love Crazy Stupid Love. Love it. And my favorite real life romance – my own!! I met my husband when I was nineteen, we traveled around the world together. We have two great kids. Most days we’re still in love and on the days we’re not, we keep our mouths shut and work hard to get the feeling back…

*If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why? I bet most romance writers say someone from Jane Austen. For a second I was going to say Princess Buttercup from Princess Bride, but she really doesn’t have much fun, does she? She kind of waits for Wesley to save her. So, I’m going to say Wesley. I would be Wesley from the Princess Bride, because he gets love, adventure and carried around on Andre The Giant’s back….

*Which of your characters/books was the most fun to write? A lot of my books have been fun to write. Or at least I’m able to look back on them and think it was fun. All the Harlequin Superromances I wrote while pregnant with my kids – were kind of an amazing process. Doing all that work during naptimes while sleep-deprived and hormonal. It was a really powerful, rich time in my life. But last year writing BETWEEN THE SHEETS – was pretty amazing. It’s my favorite book and a blast to write. Everything just seemed to work…

*If you weren’t a writer and could be doing anything else you want, what would it be? I’d be a teacher. Fifth grade, maybe or high school. Or if it’s ANYTHING – an Olympic Beach Volleyball Player. Despite have no apparent skills – I think I would be amazing.

*****

NEVER BEEN KISSED by Molly O’Keefe

July 2014

Boys of Bishop, book #2

Blurb:

Perfect for readers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Rachel Gibson, Molly O’Keefe’s second novel in her exciting new series—The Boys of Bishop—features an irresistible romance and unforgettable characters in a page-turning story that delivers equal parts emotion and humor . . . with a little edge to boot.

As the daughter of a wealthy politician, Ashley Montgomery has had enough of her parents’ expectations for her future and is going her own way, volunteering to work at a refugee camp in Africa. But her act of charity turns dangerous when she takes a boat trip and is abducted by Somali pirates. Enter Brody Baxter, who was a bodyguard for the Montgomery family ten years ago and doesn’t think twice about coming to Ashley’s rescue. Handsome and tough, Brody has always done what needed to be done. So he swoops in, saves Ashley, and brings her to a place where she can rest and recuperate without the glare of the press and her demanding family: Brody’s small hometown of Bishop, Arkansas. But Ashley soon realizes that she’s not the only one in need of healing.

Holed up with Ashley in a tiny apartment over his brother’s bar in Bishop, Brody is tempted and torn in ways he never anticipated. Beautiful Ashley, vibrant despite her ordeal, fearless enough to love him beyond his wall of self-punishment, is now determined to save him. But with a little faith and a lot of love, they just may find happiness in each others’ arms.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qpWwn6

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/SXQ3U1

*****

Author Info:

Molly O’Keefe is the RITA Award winning author of over 25 books and novellas. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, two kids and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Site – http://www.molly-okeefe.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/MollyOKwrites

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MollyOKeefeBooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/223845.Molly_O_Keefe

*****

Giveaway:

$10 Gift Card and ebook copy of WILD CHILD. 2 runners up get an ebook copy of WILD CHILD.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/726d25181/

*****

WILD CHILD, the first installment in the Boys of Bishop series, is available now.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1pOi3GK

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1jDyO1i

Spotlight – Until We Fly

07 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Beautifully Broken series, Courtney Cole, Until We Fly

I’m so excited about this one … I think I’m going to have to start with If You Stay though. They all look so good.

*****

Blurb:

Ex-Army Ranger, Brand Killien, has always been good.

A good friend, a good soldier, a good everything. .

The problem is, good hasn’t gotten him anything but a crushed heart.

So after licking his wounds, he decides to move on. And moving on doesn’t include being good anymore.

Bad sounds so much better.

Jaded and detached, Brand is determined to never open himself up to anyone again. It’s not worth the pain. Instead, he becomes closed, hardened, aloof.

But then he’s called back home for a family emergency… a family that he is estranged from. A family that he put out of his mind a long time ago for very good reasons…reasons that involve secrets and pain. Reasons he tried hard to forget.

But home is where the heart is, and it just might be where Brand finds his again.

Why? Because home is where Nora Greene is. A fiery, red-headed spitfire, Nora is a thing from his past. A beautiful, feisty thing. When Brand left, she was away at boarding school.

But she’s back now.

And she wants Brand, scars and all.

UNTIL WE FLY on Goodreads

And don’t miss the other Beautifully Broken, now available:

IF YOU STAY

IF YOU LEAVE

BEFORE WE FALL

*****

Excerpt:

“You don’t want me here?” she asks breathily, her fingers curled around the counter edge. Her knuckles are white.

“I didn’t say that,” I answer quietly, still not moving. Because right now, with her soft curves pressed into me, I do want her here.

And unfortunately, my dick chooses this moment to agree with me.  It hardens against her and her eyes widen.

“I see,” she murmurs.  I rotate away, straightening up and leaning on my crutches once again.

“Sorry about that,” I tell her. “I hope I didn’t crush you.”

With my hard-on.

*****

Praise for the Beautifully Broken Series:

“I loved If You Stay. Like, really really loved it. The kind of love that kept me reading until 2:40 am and left me crying, smiling, devastated, and elated. The best kind of book love.” – Andrea, The Bookish Babe

“Beautiful, raw, gritty, emotional and breath-taking are just a few of the words I can find to describe this book…reading this book was one of the best experiences I have had.” –Amanda, Globug and Hootie Need a Book

“In If You Leave, we continue the wild ride Courtney Cole started us on in If You Stay. This raw story of heartbreak and hope solidifies Cole’s standing as a rising star in hot contemporary romance.” — New York Times Bestselling author of Down to You, M. Leighton

“Another raw, gritty masterpiece with a sexy-as-hell Army Ranger to swoon over.” — K.A. Tucker, author of Ten Tiny Breaths

*****

Author Info:

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp | Pinterest

*****

Giveaway:

2 Signed Copy Sets of IF YOU STAY, IF YOU LEAVE, and UNTIL WE FLY for 2 winners

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9172c1172/

*****

Book Review – Worth the Fall

06 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Book Review, Claudia Connor, The McKinney Brothers series, Worth The Fall

I’m really late getting today’s review up but this book is definitely worth it!

*****

They meet on a beach. . . . Abby Davis isn’t wearing a skimpy bikini or sipping umbrella drinks, not when she’s busy chasing around four little ones. And Matt McKinney isn’t looking for fun—he’s a Navy SEAL, a grown man with a long list of missions . . . and fallen brothers.

They only have a week. . . . Abby has brought her children to this beach to start over, to give them the enjoyable memories they deserve. Matt’s been sidelined by a combat injury, and haunted by the best friend he lost and the promise he made: to remain a SEAL—focused and dedicated. This leaves no time for what he’s always wanted: a family.

But a week is all it takes. . . . Matt opens her heart while Abby soothes his soul. And though they plan to say good-bye when the week is over, something magical happens on that beach, something neither can forget. Something utterly, completely worth falling for.

Worth the Fall is the kickoff to Connor’s “The McKinney Brothers” series and it is a captivating start.

Matt is dealing with quite a bit of guilt over his best friend’s death, even years later, and he’s starting to question where his life is going. Like all military heroes, he’s strong, dedicated and hard-working. He’s also charming and funny and very, very sexy. He’s great with kids, smart as a whip, and is wonderful for Abby’s self-esteem. In other words, the perfect Navy SEAL romantic lead.

Abby is widowed with four kids and another on the way. Her childhood was spent revolving thru foster homes and her marriage did very little to give her the feeling of being loved. A week with too-good-to-be-true Matt finds her more attracted than she wants. And when things continue after their week is over, Abby struggles very hard to not continue to run from what could be a great thing.

I’m not sure that Abby ever really lets go of her fears that she’s not good enough and will be left. But I found the ending to be extremely touching and my heart squeezed a little at how they get to their HEA. Her kids are adorable and Matt connects with them just as much as with Abby. He’s got a whole herd of siblings and it’s going to be interesting to see more of them in future stories.

A touching story about two people dealing with regret and fear, Worth the Fall is a moving tale of learning to let go and embrace the good things that the future can hold.

Book Review – Hot Package

05 Saturday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Review, Hostile Operations Team series, Hot Package, Lynn Raye Harris

When public relations expert Olivia Reese stumbles onto evidence of a dangerous conspiracy right before Christmas, there’s only one man she can call for help. Billy “The Kid” Blake is a member of an elite military unit—the Hostile Operations Team—and he’s Olivia’s former lover.

Billy never forgot the sexy woman who rocked his world—and his bed—before she walked out on him. Now that she needs his help, he’ll do anything he can to keep her safe. But as time runs out and the snow piles up, can Billy and Olivia work together to thwart a lethal plot against the Pentagon without getting involved again?

Note: This novellas has been previously published in the Hot, Sexy & Bad box set.

With a little more action than Hot Mess but a little less than Hot Pursuit, Hot Package is the perfect choice for those looking for a mix of suspense and romance in a tiny little package. I love these HOT guys – they are strong and smart and big hearted. They fight hard, play hard and love hard. Here, I appreciate how well Harris can give her readers a complete story, packed full of emotion and thrills, in under 100 pages.

Olivia had an uncertain childhood, bounced from place to place as her mom went from relationship to relationship. She doesn’t have a lot of confidence in men sticking around and those fears helped destroy her relationship with Billy. He also had a bad experience, with his mom leaving him with his aunt, and having another woman not stick around just proves that those who should love you don’t stay. Thrown together to look into possible trouble at her work, they have to decide if they can let go off their issues or if they are going to let it destroy their chance of being together.

I liked these two a lot. They have good chemistry and they work well together on figuring out what is going on at Olivia’s work. We get a little glimpse of the rest of the HOT team and a few hints at possible future stories. The mystery is well done and I really enjoyed how it ended. There was great tension, hot sex, and touching emotions. Harris is a master at giving readers kick-ass intrigue mixed with heart-warming moments and she’s become my can’t-be-missed military romance author.

Book Review – Return to Glory

04 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Review, Return to Glory, Sara Arden

To celebrate the long Independence Day weekend, we’re going to do book reviews starring men who served our country with honor … starting with the heartwarming (and heartbreaking) Return to Glory.

*****

In Glory, Kansas, the best bakery in three counties not only brings together ingredients for sweet treats, but is the place where—through the powerful mix of friendship, community and a well-stocked kitchen—a wounded hero can forge a forever kind of love.

Back in the hometown he left behind five years ago, Jack McConnell has returned battle-scarred and feeling like half a man. But Betsy Lewis only sees the hero who once saved her life and set her heart on fire. Now she’s burning to save him in return. She’ll use every trick she’s got up her sleeve, from her generous natural assets to her talent for baking, to coax Jack out from the bottom of his whiskey bottle.

At first, Jack responds to Betsy like any red-blooded man would. He’s always denied his attraction to the innocent girl he used to know, but he’s returned to find Betsy’s grown into a full-on woman with strength enough for both of them. Until Jack realizes the only way to conquer his demons and be worthy of the hero’s mantle she’s pinned to his shoulders is to save Betsy one last time—from himself.

Ya’ll, Jack and Betsy just about broke my heart … and I loved every page. There are moments of great beauty and moments of extreme heartache, but there are so many wonderful, ordinary moments in between.

Betsy’s sassy and sweet at the same time, and I love her style. She may be a little over her head with handling Jack’s troubles but that isn’t going to stop her from trying. She’s caring and I love the relationship between her and Jack, as well as with her friends and family (especially her brother Caleb and his best friend India).

Jack has had so much bad happen to him that it is hard to imagine how he made it home and it is not surprising that he’s broken because of it. He’s strong for making it as far as he has but he’s also got to realize that sometimes even great men need help. The lead up to the moment he decides to fight is wrenching, although I do wish we’d seen a bit more of his recovery. There is so much to be made of getting him to that point that I would have liked to have seen just a bit more of how he handles it from there.

I adored the Jack and Betsy together. They each do so much for the other and even when Jack’s broken he’s still got so much heart (he just doesn’t realize it). I just ate up the way their relationship changed over time and it added so much more oomph to their love story to have them be such a large part of each other’s lives for so long. They are sweet and touching, and troubled, and the ending just brought a huge smile to my face. It’s the perfect way to wrap up their relationship.

I can’t wait for the next book – hopefully we’ll get to see Caleb and India finally figure things out.

Spotlight – InkHeart Authors

03 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A Daughter’s Place, Allure, Bianca D’Arc, Cari Quinn, Carly Phillips, Cathryn Fox, CJ Carmichael, Dare to Love, Elemental Pleasure, Elena Aitken, Falling Into Forever, Gracie Lee Rose, Grif, His for the Weekend, InkHeart Authors, Janelle Denison, Jayne Rylon, Kaira Rouda, Lauren Hawkeye, Lexi Blake, Lila Dubois, Mari Carr, Megan Crane, Melanie Shawn, Nina Lane, One Hot Fall Term, Opal Carew, Renee Vincent, RG Alexander, Rocked, Sexy and Sweet Summer Reads, Sharon Page, Shayla Black, Steamy and Sizzling Summer Reads, Suzanne Rock, Sweet Reunion, Taryn Elliott, Tempt Me Cowboy, The CEO's Fantasy, The Dom Who Loved Me, The Great Escape, The Male Stripper, The Start of Something Good, Through My Window, Unspoken, Web of Desire, Weekend with the Tycoon, Where Their Hearts Collide, Wicked All The Way, Zoe York

Bridging the Gap Promotions Book Blast

July 1 thru July 3

InkHeart Authors presents two boxed sets

for your summer reading pleasure!

Make sure to download both the Sexy and Sweet AND

the Steamy and Sizzling Set – 21 books for $5.98!

***Available for ONE MONTH ONLY***

*****

Sexy and Sweet Summer Reads
Available for only $2.99 at:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo and iBooks coming soon!

Falling Into Forever by Elena Aitken
Secrets cause Kari to run, Rhys is determined to catch her, can she find the courage to trust again?

A Daughter’s Place by CJ Carmichael
For the sake of her child, a single mother must face the father who disowned her, the ex-boyfriend who hurt her and the neighbor she’s always loved in…

Tempt Me Cowboy by Megan Crane
Chelsea Collier is a good girl schoolteacher who’s never done a bad thing in her life, but bad boy newcomer Jasper Flint is definitely a bad thing worth doing…

His for the Weekend by Janelle Denison
After nine years apart, one forbidden kiss between past lovers leads to one hot weekend, but when their time together is over, will Rachel walk away from Luke again, or can he convince her to stay and be his forever?

Unspoken by Lauren Hawkeye
Once, Ellie Kendrick was the only thing that Dominic Gabriel wanted… now she’s back and her version of what happened between them so long ago makes him question everything he knows about himself as a man…

Weekend with the Tycoon by Kaira Rouda
When wealthy tycoon Blake Putnam invites employee Samantha Jones to a family wedding on Indigo island with no strings attached he knows it’s risky business, but neither of them expects what happens next.

Sweet Reunion by Melanie Shawn
Sometimes first love deserves a second chance.

The Start of Something Good by Renee Vincent writing as Gracie Lee Rose
Who knew Mr. Right lived right next door?

Where Their Hearts Collide by Zoe York
When the girl next door meets the man of her dreams…at exactly the wrong time.

*****

Steamy and Sizzling Summer Reads

Available for only $2.99 at:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo and iBooks coming soon!

The CEO’s Fantasy by RG Alexander
Dean and Sara agree to a month of indulging their most forbidden fantasies–but when reality is better than his wildest dreams, will the CEO break his own rules to keep her?

Wicked All The Way by Shayla Black
When a gruff military man with a desire to control seduces a skittish divorcee bent on finding her independence, will she give in to more than their sizzling chemistry?

The Dom Who Loved Me by Lexi Blake
Sent to steal her secrets, he soon craved her submission.

The Male Stripper by Opal Carew
Her ultimate sexual fantasy brought to life….not one, but two sexy male strippers for one night of torrid passion she’ll never forget.

Elemental Pleasure by Mari Carr and Lila Dubois
There is passion and power in three.

Grif by Bianca D’Arc
Grif is far from home when he meets a sexy, magical woman in desperate need of his help.

Web of Desire by Cathryn Fox
When the captive suddenly becomes the captor, Ally finds herself tangled in a web of desire—of her own making.

Allure by Nina Lane
In Book Two of the sexy Spiral of Bliss trilogy, Liv and Dean West’s passionate romance is put to the test as they struggle with an unexpected family crisis.

One Hot Fall Term by Sharon Page
College freshman Mia fights to make a long distance relationship work with her gorgeous hometown boyfriend Ryan–but billionaire’s son Jonathon plans to seduce her away.

Dare to Love by Carly Phillips
When a man who requires dominance falls for a woman who needs independence, can they survive the fallout?

The Great Escape by Suzanne Rock
Gianni loves dominating Sienna during her sessions at the Ecstasy Spa, but when his ex-lover returns and wants in on the action, all three of them uncover a bond that forces them change their views about love.

Through My Window by Jayne Rylon
What happens when a sex worker fall in love with a client but doesn’t plan to quit her job?

Rocked by Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott
Love definitely wasn’t on the setlist.

*****

Giveaway:

Fantastic collection of prizes !!!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d1cc7c258/

*****

Follow Us At:

Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Newsletter | Website coming soon…

Spotlight – Deadly Chemistry

03 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Deadly Chemistry, Teri Anne Stanley

I’m excited about this one, ya’ll … it looks like a fantastic suspense romance!

*****

Deadly Chemistry

by Teri Anne Stanley

Release Date: June 23, 2014

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Blurb:

Former undercover cop Mike Gibson has been lying low, working as a maintenance man to put his troubled younger brother through college. But when a beautiful scientist enlists Mike’s help to repair the damage done to her lab by a group of vandals, Mike finds that his, and his brother’s pasts, are about to be brought to light.

Laura Kane was happy having a secret crush on the hot maintenance man at Tucker University, but when the drug she was studying is stolen, Laura has a chance to get to know Mike in person. The problem is, he seems to know more about what’s going on than any maintenance man should. But then the drug turns up in the wrong hands, and Mike and Laura have to decide if their own chemistry will help, or hinder, the race to save innocent lives.

Tagline: Some chemical reactions generate too much heat…

Amazon Buy Link: http://bit.ly/DeadlyChemistryAM

Barnes & Noble Buy Link: http://bit.ly/DeadlyChemistryBN

Entangled Page: http://bit.ly/DeadlyChemistryEP

*****

Excerpt:

He was not for her. Nerdy scientist girls had to stay away from hot guys with big, muscle-y arms and white smiles. So why the heck couldn’t she stop looking back at the biology building?

She shook herself. What was wrong with her? She had to get out of here. She could lust after him from a distance. That would be fine. Safe. He could be her pretend lover. She turned the key and threw the car into gear. With one last glance over her shoulder toward her new imaginary boyfriend, she stomped her foot on the accelerator. And promptly shot backward over the curb, knocking over a trash can, which wound up wedged under the rear bumper.

“Gack!” She put the car in park and jumped out to survey the damage. Rounding the back end and seeing the trash can, she shrieked and stepped out of the way of a family of possums—a mom and three…teenagers? They tottered about, blinking in the bright morning sunshine.

“Whoa, careful!” Maintenance Man Mike was suddenly there, grabbing Lauren’s upper arms and shifting

her out of the way of the scraggly little things. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “But the kids—I ran over their house!” One of the little ones clung to its mother’s fur, but two others careened blindly away from the scene of the home wrecking.

“I tell you what,” Mike said. “You pull your car forward, off the trash can, then we’ll see if we can’t help ’em out.”

“Okay.” Lauren’s heartbeat started to slow and beat a regular rhythm. Except where Mike had touched her arms. There, her skin seemed to be throbbing and tingling.

Sheesh.

She moved her car forward and off of the sidewalk, then went back to Mike and the possum. Fortunately, there were no other faculty members’ cars in the lot yet. What would she have told them? No, I wasn’t texting anddriving. I was mentally undressing a stranger.

Please, God…don’t let it be her drug they were talking about on the news. After Crawford left, Mike stopped fiddling with settings on the centrifuge. He straightened and turned to lean against a clean section of counter. Crossing his arms, he glared at Lauren.

“What?” She realized she’d crossed her arms, too, and stood with a hip cocked out. Defensive much? “Let’s have it.”

“You lied.”

“About what?”

“What’s missing. Those pellet things you showed me yesterday. They’re all gone.”

“Yeah. You wanna start talking?” He uncrossed his arms and moved toward Lauren. He smelled of fabric softener again, like the day before. What single guy used fabric softener?

“Are you married?” Ugh. Did she really say that?

That slowed him down, though. “What? No. I live with my brother. I told you that last night.” He took another step into her personal space. “Why did you lie?”

Instead of feeling intimidated, she found herself uncrossing her arms and putting her hands behind her to hold on to the ledge. “How’s the cat doing?”

“Howled all night. Dylan threatened to poison it.”

“Dylan did? But he’s such an animal lover!”

“Shows you how much of a head case that cat is.” He pinned her in place with that dark stare. “Why did you lie?”

He was so close that she could feel his heat. How much closer was he going to get? When she took a deep breath, her breasts brushed his chest. Which caused her to take another deep breath. Not on purpose, of course. His eyes heated. She could smell coffee now. She licked her lips, and his nostrils flared. He bent his head closer. She needed to answer his question, but what should she say? If she didn’t answer, would he…what, kiss it out of her? He should work for the CIA. Or the FBI. As part of the Threaten to Kiss Information From Witnesses Unit.

— DEADLY CHEMISTRY @teriannestanley http://bit.ly/DeadlyChemistryEP

*****

Author Info:

Teri Anne Stanley has been writing since she could hold a crayon–though learning to read was a huge turning point in her growth as a writer. Teri’s first stories involved her favorite Saturday morning cartoon characters, followed by her favorite teen idols. She has also authored a recipe column (The Three Ingredient Gourmet), and scientific articles (Guess which was more interesting!). Now she writes fun, sexy romance filled with love, angst, and nekkid parts.

Teri’s career has included sex therapy for rats, making posing suits for female body builders, and helping amputee amphibians recover to their full potential. She currently supplements her writing income as a neuroscience research assistant. Along with a variety of teenagers and dogs, she and Mr. Stanley live just outside of Sugartit, which is—honest to God—between Beaverlick, and Rabbit Hash, Kentucky.

Author Website: http://teriannestanley.com/

Author Blog: http://teriannestanley.com/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeriAnneStanley

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeriAnneStanley

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/TeriAnneStanley

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/VY8-v

*****

Giveaway:

$25 Gift Card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1cb554396/

*****

Schedule

June 23

Guest blogging at Joyfully Reviewed

Book reviewed at Tori MacAllister

June 24

Book featured at I Heart Reading

Interviewed at Review From Here

June 25

Book featured at Confessions of a Reader

June 26

Book reviewed at @MiriamSmith

Guest blogging at What is That Book About

Book featured at Sweeping Me

June 27

Book featured at Lisa Loves Books

Book featured at Escape by Fiction

June 30

Guest blogging at In the Pages of a Good Book

Book featured at Romance For Every World

July 1

Book featured at Book Nook Nuts

Interviewed at I’m Shelf-ish

July 2

Guest blogging at My Book Addiction and More

Guest blogging at Becky on Books…and Quilts

July 3

Book featured at My Devotional Thoughts

Guest blogging at Kate M. George

Book featured at Romantic Reads and Such

Book featured at Bookaholics

July 4

Book featured at The La La Land of Books

*****

Special Extra Excerpt:

“He went to see a pig about a horse.”

When Mike laughed, Lauren’s heart did one of those little fluttery things she was getting used to feeling when he was around. She loved to see him laugh, she realized with a start. This wasn’t a giant gut-grabbing guffaw, but a headtilting bark of laughter. It turned his throat—and that little shadowy area under his jaw—into somewhere she wanted to lick.

“You know what?” he said. “I actually believe you.” He stood there for a second, smiling at her. Lauren smiled back. Oh boy. She liked him. Like, liked him. If her best friend had been there, she’d have slipped her a note to pass to Mike, asking if he liked her back. Check yes or no.

Then what he had said sunk in and she said, “Wait—why wouldn’t you believe me?”

“Well…”

She waved the question away. “So what brings you here on a Saturday?”

“I’m on call. I got a call, so I came in to fix a leaky sink… and to check up on Dylan. And find out if you’ve heard an update from Crawford.”

Lauren hesitated a minute, then said, “I think it’s time for you to tell me your story. There’s some kind of…something swimming below the surface here.”

Mike’s gaze narrowed on her mouth. She licked her lips, but then said, “Oh, no, you’re not going to distract me. Spill it.”

He raised an eyebrow, and she realized she’d revealed too much—that she was aware of him, of how much he appealed to her. He smirked, then chewed on his bottom lip, as though trying to decide how much to tell her.

— DEADLY CHEMISTRY @teriannestanley http://bit.ly/DeadlyChemistryEP

Excerpt – The Dare

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Rachel Van Dyken, The Bet series, The Dare

Some of you may remember that we got a chance to check out the trailer for The Dare a few days ago. Now we get a sneak peek!

*****

The Dare

by Rachel Van Dyken

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken, comes the third and final book in the New York Time’s Bestselling Bet Series…

Blurb:

Boring Beth Lynn has always lived up to her nickname… until she wakes up in a hotel bed next to a sexy as sin state senator she re-connected with at a wedding the previous night.

The biggest problem? She can’t seem to remember anything about the night before except for crying into a box of cookies, and she’s pretty sure Grandma Nadine slipped something in her drink. And what should have been a one night stand turns into a six day adventure when Grandma whisks them off to Hawaii to save them from the ensuing media firestorm.

Jace isn’t looking for commitment — he believes he made that clear when he left the wedding with Beth. Then again, he can’t remember much of anything other than the way her skin felt beneath his hands. Now he’s stuck with her at some lame couple’s retreat and trying his hardest to fight the attraction only a woman like Beth could invoke.

He doesn’t think it can get any worse.

But one spider attack… A donkey ride from hell… And an unfortunate episode with Viagra tea — and there’s one thing Jace knows for sure: He should never have agreed to Grandma Nadine’s suggestion in the first place.

Because if this isn’t paradise, and it isn’t a vacation — that only leaves one option.

Survival.

But to make it through alive… they might lose their hearts in the process.

(Romantic Comedy, Friends to lovers, Vacation Romance, New Adult Romance, Funny Stand Alone, Bargain Books, Humorous Romance)

BUY LINKS

Amazon:

http://amzn.com/B00KLJCUIK

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dare-rachel-van-dyken/1119573016?ean=2940045955768

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-dare/id880917031?mt=11

TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrKf68adP6U&feature=youtu.be

*****

Excerpt:

“Beth!” Jace knocked on the door. “If you’re done freaking out, we need to go.” “Right.” I wiped my wet cheeks and clenched the dress in my hands. It wasn’t magic. If anything, it was just a reminder that I was exactly where I’d been when I’d graduated in 2000. A loser. A loser with a small rack who preferred math and science to Facebook. “Beth, I’m serious. It’s not looking good.” “Keep your pants on!” I yelled, irritated that he was making me hurry. With a curse, I pulled on the dress, put my wet hair in a quick pony tail, and opened the bathroom door. “What’s the big hurry?” Jace held up his phone. It said Grandma Nadine. “Hello!” a loud voice yelled. “Jace! Beth! Hurry! Grandma has this all figured out.” “Famous last words.” Jace nodded. “But we have no choice.” “No choice?” I repeated. “What? Is the mafia after us or

something?” “Worse.” “I highly doubt that.” “Look.” He pointed to the TV. Reporters were in front of a hotel, looking excited as hell. “The news?” I asked. “Why is that worse than—” “Special reports say the senator took a prostitute back to his room at midnight last night and has yet to check out! Which raises the question, has the senator truly put his murky past behind him? Sources close to the senator’s ex-fiancée say the cheating scandal from two years ago nearly destroyed him. One more scandal won’t bode well for the youngest senator in state history. Could a trust issue in his personal life have a reflection on his public one?” “That’s enough.” I grabbed the remote from Jace’s frozen hand and threw it onto the bed. Great. So not only had I lost my virginity to a politician, but now I was a prostitute. I reached for his cell phone and growled into it. “We’ll have words later.” Grandma snorted. “But get us out of here first.” “Say the magic words.” “Uh, please?” I nudged Jace out of his paralyzed state. “Not those words.” I closed my eyes and allowed visions of my calm and sterile office to bring back the peace into my body. That didn’t work. I needed to think about Vampire Diaries. Damon Salvatore. Damon Salvatore. Damon Salvatore. And happy place found! “I can’t read minds. What words do you want me to say?” Grandma chuckled. “Why, thank you, of course!” “For?” “How was he?” She giggled like a school girl. “Men with power seem to have a special type of—” “Thank you!” I all but shouted. “Now get us out of here.” “Roger.” The phone went dead. I looked to Jace for help, but he seemed to be fighting a losing battle with his tie as he tried to pull it from his neck. “Stop.” I swatted his hands away. “You’re going to hang yourself if you keep doing that.” He shrugged. “What?” I loosened the tie. “No snappy retort?”

“Not feeling snappy,” he said dryly. I slapped him. I never said I was good with emotions. “What the hell was that for?” “Singing Katy Perry.” I grinned. “Now snap to it, Mr. Senator. We’ve gotta make it out of this hotel without that skinny bitch reporting it on the evening news.” “Grandma?” “The reporter.” “You understand my confusion,” he added, just as someone knocked on the door. “Stay here.” “It feels like a bad movie,” I whispered to myself as I chewed the nail polish off my thumb. “Shit.” Jace looked through the peephole and then said shit about five more times before slowly opening the door. Why was he so upset? Why the hell would… “Aw, shit.” I repeated. Because there really wasn’t any other word that existed in the English language that would fit as well. So I repeated it again. As did Jace. Grandma shrugged and pulled off her sunglasses. “Let the fun begin!”

Excerpt – Fake It

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Fake It, Jennifer Chance, Rule Breakers series

We’ve already had a look at Jennifer Chance’s Rule Breakers series with Book 1 – Rock It and Book 2 – Fake It … but NOW we get a chance to read an excerpt from Fake It. Enjoy!

*****

Jennifer Chance is back with another novel that’ll keep you hooked.

Anna Richardson meets the baddest (and sexiest) of bad boys in FAKE IT, the second novel in Jennifer Chance’s sizzling Rule Breakers series, out on July 1, 2014 from Random House. This one is not to be missed, especially if you’re looking for a bad boy fix!

*****

Fake It

by Jennifer Chance

Rule Breakers series Book 2

Blurb:

As her sizzling new series continues, Jennifer Chance sparks some serious combustion between a sexy biker and a corporate go-getter who’s ready to let her hair down.

New grad Anna Richardson works hard—so hard that she’s given up having a romantic life. Anna has even convinced her friends that she’s dating an amazing guy—who they’ve simply never met. But now Anna has a wedding to attend and needs to produce the hottie she’s been lying about for the past six months. Enter Jake Flynn, her infuriating, motorcycle-riding, jaw-droppingly gorgeous neighbor, who’s more than willing to fake it for a weekend. In fact, Jake won’t be satisfied until things get real.

Though Jake is only playing the role of adoring boyfriend, he’s starting to feel the heat, and judging by Anna’s sweet blush, so is she. Letting chemistry this intense go to waste would be a real shame. Soon, though, the thin line between fantasy and reality fades. Jake may not be what every buttoned-up fast-tracker wants, but he’s sure as hell what Anna needs. And if she takes a ride with him, their adventure never has to end.

Goodreads | Amazon| Barnes and Noble

Also in the Rule Breakers series: ROCK IT by Jennifer Chance!

*****

Excerpt:

Jake’s POV- So you need a date?

“So you need a date.”

“No, I need my boyfriend ‘Dave.’ He’s been a running story for the past six months now, and he’s been working very well, thank you. Only now I’m expected to produce the man.”

“And since he doesn’t exist …”

“I have to find someone to stand in for him.” Anna hesitated, casting her eyes downward toward her little notebook. “But I haven’t taken the time to look, and now it’s nearly too late. The wedding’s next weekend.”

“Mmm, yeah. A week isn’t much time.”

Anna shot him a look, clearly searching for sarcasm in a line that should have been dripping with it. Jake returned her regard evenly, forcing any twinkle out of his eyes. “What about an escort service?” he asked, wondering if she’d be shocked at the suggestion.

To his surprise, Anna just shrugged. “Tried it. Way too expensive for a whole weekend, and I was willing to pay a lot.” She waved a hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter, like I said. The girls are taking me out tomorrow—and with the look they have planned for me, I should find someone. If not, then it’s all over.”

“The look?”

Anna picked up her drink to hide her face. “I told you, I’m desperate,” she mumbled. “We’re going to Allston-Brighton and I’ll be dressed to kill. Or so they keep telling me.”

Jake worked to stay focused on the conversation. But the image of pinup girl Anna Richardson “dressed to kill” was going to torture him the rest of the night. What did that even mean on a body like hers? “Well, then, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to pick up a guy,” he said. “Women do it all the time.”

“I don’t—” she said, but then seemed to realize how close he was to her, her eyes going wide as he invaded her personal space.

“You’re going to have to move up close to him,” Jake continued. “A lot like this, so only he can hear you. Got it?” When she nodded, he lowered his voice, leaning in. Every inch of Anna’s tantalizing curves were now within reach. It was all he could do not to skim his hands over them. “And then you say one of your lines. Such as …”

To his surprise, Anna swayed toward him, looking up as if he were her whole world. She dropped a hand almost unconsciously to steady herself. It connected with the rough solidity of his jeans, and he could barely mask his sudden intake of breath.

“You know,” she murmured, her voice throaty and low. Then words spilled out of her so fast she didn’t seem to have time to be embarrassed. “I have somewhere I need to be this weekend, and I don’t want to go alone.”

She moved in closer, her lips now brushing Jake’s ear as her voice deepened. “How would you like to get away for the weekend? You can spend your days at a beach, I’ll pick up all your costs. Nothing but sun, surf, and a few appearances as my boyfriend, that’s it. I just really need a man for the weekend …” Anna touched her tongue to Jake’s earlobe, and his insides went on full alert. “And you definitely qualify.”

As soon as the last words were out, Anna propelled herself backward and hopped onto her stool again, her breath hiccupping in her throat. Jake didn’t look at her for a moment, but he did take a long, measured drink of his beer.

*****

Author Info:

Jennifer Chance is the award-winning author of the new adult Rule Breakers series. A lover of books, romance, and happily-ever-afters, she lives and writes in Ohio.

Find Jennifer at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Want to get to know Jennifer better? Check out this exclusive interview!

*****

Contest:

Fantastic prizes!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef21/

*****

Click the banner below for more info on the tour!

Spotlight – Never Been Kissed

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Boys of Bishop series, Molly O'Keefe, Never Been Kissed

Now we’re going to get a chance to look at the second book in Molly O’Keefe’s newest series. If you haven’t already, be sure you read the sneak peek of Wild Child (Book 1) here. And don’t forget to check out Molly’s facebook party – all the details are below!

*****

NEVER BEEN KISSED

by Molly O’Keefe

Boys of Bishop, book #2

July 2014

Blurb:

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qpWwn6

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/SXQ3U1

*****

Author Info:

Molly O’Keefe is the RITA Award winning author of over 25 books and novellas. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, two kids and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Site – http://www.molly-okeefe.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/MollyOKwrites

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MollyOKeefeBooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/223845.Molly_O_Keefe

*****

A Week of Celebration on Facebook!